Hi, I'm Jacqueline.I may be the only vegan in my small town, so I'm looking forward to belonging to a community.

I've been vegetarian since the movie "Babe" came out. I went vegan in university, but after a few years I gave it up.This year I went and got all Brendan Brazier's books, bought a Vitamix and am determined to give it another go. This time placing a greater emphasis on health and less emphasis on 100% accuracy.My biggest issue with diet right now is that I'll do great for about a week or so, then screw it up with a couple days of binge eating (hello weekend!). I really need to break this cycle and have a healthier relationship with food.

I love being active and have kept up my fitness over the years with running, biking, yoga and rock climbing. Running is my fav but I seem to get hurt at least once a year.

I just joined a gym for the first time in my life. I would love to get into weight-lifting but I have no idea where to start. Suggestions are welcome!

My town is about 10,000 bbq loving Canadians. Most of the restaurants here now serve veggie burgers though, which is a big change from when I first stopped eating meat.

As for my body composition....good question. I really have no idea. Looking at some body fat charts, I'm guessing I'm about 20-21%. I'm probably a pretty even split of muscle/bone/fat if that makes any sense? I would love to have visible ab definition by next fall, so I've got my work cut out for me.

Hi Jacqueline, welcome to the forum group! I think you'll find a lot of helpful info here. Maybe seek out a session with a trainer at your new gym to help get you started. Nothing wrong with that. Just ignore them if they start trying to push whey shakes or protein bars down your throat. If they tell you anything about needing animal product to get fit they are mis-educated, pay them no mind.